Does The Lion King still sit proudly at the top of Pride Rock or has it gone to the Elephant’s Graveyard?
Written by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi and based on the 1994 Disney film, The Lion King stage musical premiered in London’s West End at the Lyceum Theatre in 1999 – more than twenty-five years ago.
Being such a well known and well loved film around the world, it is no surprise that The Lion King is still a firm favourite amongst tourists who visit London.
But with so many family shows that have come since this, has it stood the test of time?
The Puppetry
The puppetry has always been the standout part of The Lion King stage show. At the beginning (spoiler alert), as the life-size puppet animals walk through the auditorium and on to the stage, adults and children have always been enamoured by the magic of it all.
But over the past twenty-five years, puppetry has come so far, with creations like Warhorse and more recently My Neighbour Totoro showing what new technology can do. So unfortunately, The Lion King does now look dated and dare I say, a little boring.
Is it really a Musical?
Directed by Julie Taymor, the show features classic songs from the film by Elton John and Tim Rice including “The Circle of Life”, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Hakuna Matata” as well as newly written songs for the stage show like “Shadowland”.
It isn’t really a musical though. To me, a musical begins with an overture and ends the first act with a show stopping song. It then begins act 2 with another musical interlude before finishing with a roar. The Lion King just doesn’t follow this format. There’s nothing wrong with being different but it just feels a bit flat and lacking in emotional musical depth.
The Lighting and Direction
Sometimes I wonder how much things like lighting can affect a show but this is a great example of where the story could be brought to life on stage with some wonderful lighting designs. Many of these scenes are joined together with simple blackouts rather than nice transitions and much of the time, characters don’t even appear to be lit on stage.
Directionally, The Lion King relies on the audience knowing the film in order to follow the story. At the end of Act 1, when Simba and Nala grow up, it isn’t really clear and the transition could have been so much more magical.
The Story
Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains and to the evocative rhythms of Africa, the blurb for the show states that this show will ‘redefine your expectations of theatre’. That line, like most of the show now feels old and stale and could do with being updated for 2026 audiences. Twenty five years ago yes, but not anymore.
At its heart is the powerful and moving story of Simba – the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.
The Cast
For the most part, the cast can’t be faulted. Some of the actors have been with the show for fifteen plus years – proving this can be a job for life if you want it to be. But it doesn’t show – the acting still feels very much alive and not at all stale. Saying that though, to an audience member, it looks like a pretty easy gig as none of the cast are on stage for particularly long periods of time.
Leading the cast of The Lion King are:
- George Asprey (SCAR)
- Shaun Escoffery (MUFASA)
- Thenjiwe Thendiva Nofemele (RAFIKI)
- Gary Jordan (ZAZU)
- Jamie McGregor (TIMON)
- Mark Roper (PUMBAA)
- Owen Chaponda (SIMBA)
- Merryl Ansah (NALA)
- Rhiane Drummond (SHENZI)
- Jorell Coiffic-Kamall (BANZAI)
- Mark Tatham (ED).
In Conclusion
The Lion King is a well loved, tourist-favourite, that will no doubt be around for many more years to come and it isn’t bad. However, it looks like complacency has set in and there are so many opportunities to reinvigorate the production after twenty-five years and inject it will some much needed colour and excitement.
★★★
West End Wilma
Access Performances
Relaxed Performance – 28 June 2026, 1:30pm
Captioned Performance – Tuesday 17 March 2026, 7.30pm, 28 June 2026, 1:30pm
Signed Performance – Thursday 5 March 2026, 7.30pm, 28 June 2026, 1:30pm
Audio Described Performance – Sunday 8 March 2026, 2.30pm, 28 June 2026, 1:30pm
Understudies
- Garry Lake (STANDBY SCAR, ZAZU AND PUMBAA)
- Tramaine Lamy (SWING/CHILDREN’S DIRECTOR)
- Francisco Lins (SWING/DANCE CAPTAIN)
- Stephanie Lo (SWING/DANCE CAPTAIN)
- Barnaby Thompson (STANDBY ZAZU, TIMON, PUMBAA AND ED)
- Scott Maurice (STANDBY MUFASA)
- Sadia McEwen (SARABI/ENSEMBLE).
Also in the cast are Ensemble and Swing performers:
- Gibsa Bah
- Stedroy Cabey
- Nikki Cheung
- Azola Dlamini
- Darius Drooh
- Gennaro Maffettone
- Lanya Matthews
- Daniel Mejia
- Siphosihle Mlombile
- Keitumetse Molea
- Ntethelelo Nhlapo
- Aphiwe Nyezi
- Peace Nzirawa
- Poseletso Sejosingoe
- Luciano Santos Souza
- Dillan Hope Suttle
- Gesztenye Taiwo
- Christina Walters
- Francesca Thompson
- Jane Carla Leynes
- Lwando Bam
- Etian A Almeida
- Donna Clovis
- Kat Collings
- Kuan Frye
- Sandile Gontsana
- Nosipho Nkonqa
- Phindile Nyandeni
- Charlotte Samaroo
- Candice Holdford
- Tomas Larraguivel
- Bonginkosi Jay Hlatshwayo
- Connor Williams.
